Need help, it's not working...

S

shammy902

Cathlete
Hi, usually I'm a lurker here, but I am desperate for some motivation right now. I recently had a baby on August 15th and am desperate to be losing this weight. I have been working out 6 days a week with a full rest day. I did a 3 week rotation of the S/H series and now I am trying to do my Firm classics. I've read the Business Plan for the Body book so I am trying to rely heavier on the weights vs cardio. My pre-pregnancy weight from baby #1 (April 1999) was 155 and my prepregnancy weight from baby #2 was 175. Well, I am at 170 right now, but none of my prepregnancy clothes fit! I am just finishing up breastfeeding so I am hoping to lose some more once that is complete.

I am so frustrated because for the past 10 weeks I have been eating the cleanest in my entire life, working out consistently and this weight is going nowhere!!! I still have those fat rolls on my back and a definite stomach. Just yesterday some moron who works in my building and who knew I was pregnant and saw me right at the end asked me when I was due!!!!

OK, I am 5'10", 170 and my goal is to get to my first prepregnancy weight of 150.

here are the tapes I have:
Cathe - mostly weight only. All the Crosstrain Xpress tapes, S/H series, Pure Strength series, MIS, Power Hour, Interval Max, Body Max, Rhythmic Step.
Firm - just about all of them
Karen Voight's Cardio/Strength

Can anyone help me, either with a rotation, their experience, etc...

I'm ready to give it all up!
Thanks for reading, sorry it's so long,
Sue
 
Whatever you do, don't give up. I remember after having my second baby(I had gained sixty pounds) I would cry through the whole workout sometimes because it was so hard, but I wouldn't let myself stop because I had to do it. I'll tell you something that might work. My sister and I had a contest this month, doing five days of cardio a week, one dessert a week and one pop a week. It's amazing how many opportunities there are to eat dessert. It was a great help up us both. But what helped the most was because I had to do five days of cardio I backed down on the heaviest weights and didn't do as many heavy weight workouts. When you lift the heaviest weights you are putting on a lot of muscle and you will weigh more. You already know this, I'm sure. I bet you have a great muscle mass. Maybe you could make the investment, if you don't have any cardio only, and do the weights two days a week and cardio the other four. You will lose inches fast & the poundage. Do not give up. You will be happy with yourself again. Someone once told me a women could never look the same after she had a baby as she did before. I decided to defy that statement and I look better and am in much better shape now. You will be too. Hang in there.
 
Hi, Sue,

Hang in there. Look at what you have accomplished! You've dropped below your prepregancy weight but preganacy changes your body dramatically and you gave birth just a few months ago. You are being too hard on yourself. It took me 15 months to get back into shape after baby # 3. I nursed him for that whole time. Stay focused and keep up the excellent work! It just takes time!

Bobbi
 
Yes, don't give up. You know where that will get you! Just keep working at it. Having a baby didn't cause me to look any different. I worked out before during and after and looked great after a few months.
 
Hi Sue! Congratulations on baby two. I wouldn't worry about a thing. Second time around is a little bit harder to get baby weight off(so we're told) plus you are still breast feeding which means your hormones are still fluctuating and your body is still wanting to store fat for milk production. Finally, it has only been 2 1/2 months since you had your beautiful baby. You certainly do not need to hit the panic button yet. Once you stop breast feeding I think you will start to see changes in a short time. I lost 5 pounds the week I stopped breast feeding. I'm certainly not encouraging you to stop breastfeeding, I'm simply saying that until this time comes, don't be so hard on yourself. You may also want to consider increasing your cardio a bit. I don't know how much you are currently doing but some body types respond better to more cardio(others to more weights, and yet others to an even mix of both). So if what you are currently doing is completely frustrating you, then try something else that adds more of what you are currently doing less of. And cut back on what you are currently doing more of. Good Luck!
 
Hi Sue,
Don't give up!!! I have been trying to lose weight for a while now. I did the weight watchers point system last fall and didn't lose any. I wasn't terrible strict with it an not exercising consistently. I just started the point system again about a week ago. I have been exercising (mostly aerobics) 3-5 times a week and have lost about a 1 1/2 lbs. I think I have found what will work for me (finally after years of looking). I do Cathe's step aerobic tapes. They are an hour long usually and I work my butt of doing them. I have in the past given up countless times and I still sit here wishing I could get this weight off. As Cher says in her video tape "You don't get a great body by wishing for it, you get it by work". As for WW points - I use them as a gudeline because it is hard to know how much to eat, and it is easy.

I have learned that you will get what you put into it. It sounds like you are on the right track. I have noticed that cardio works better for me. Once I lose most of the weight I will start toning more. Best of luck to you!!

Tracy
 
I agree with everyone else in saying that DO NOT GIVE UP - everyone's body is different and some of us, like myself, need more time than others in getting back in shape. I have three young children and my last pregnancy which resulted in twins did a real number on my body - I was on bed rest for the entire pregnancy and lost whatever muscle tone that I had acquired after resuming working out after having my first born. Just when I got back on track after having my twins, I required emergency surgery which I have trouble recuperating from and was back on bed rest for another month - I gave up on my body for a two year period and in July 2000 I started again with cardio/fitness and in that time I have lost 20lbs (due to weight watchers) and have dropped two sizes - the most significant changes occured in March when I started with a personal trainer and truly learned the proper techniques of weight training and using a heart rate monitor when doing cardio - I have not lost weight since March but I was able to drop another size and my body finally has some definition. I am now a size 12 and while I am not the size 6 that I always was before having children, I do have muscle definition which I did not have prior. I am healthy, I feel great and I work hard at excersing because I still have a goal that I am looking forward to achieving in getting my body in the best shape that I can possibly can. Good luck to you and just take it one day at a time.
 
thanks for the encouragement...

I've been scouring this board today and printing every rotation I come across. I've got quite a few to pick from now and I'm trying to come up with a realistic rotation for me. I'm a morning exerciser now and I have a maximum of an hour so the Power Hour/jogging combo is out. I think I will increase my cardio and have two Power Hour days. I'm also going to dust off my Circuit Max, Interval Max and Body Max. Those may just be the "shock" I'm looking for. I think I'm going to start my rotation with the "plateau busting" weeks of the 16 week rotation. I'll try that for 2 weeks and then move on to a combo Firm/Cathe rotation. I'm just getting so tired of my middle fat. I know it's recent from baby #2, but I've had it since April 1999 when i never lost it from baby #1. Every day I look at my little girls and I know it's completely worth it, I just would like to feel better about myself again. I feel so blah! Thanks again for the encouragement.
 
RE: thanks for the encouragement...

There's another reason to keep working out; it can help you beat the baby blues!
 
Just have to chime in... I've lost about 75 pounds thanks to Cathe's videos, not binging (I'm a compulsive overeater) and breastfeeding my now 18-month-old and, yes, still nursing child. I've kept my calories @ 1750 (some days I'm hungry and eat more though) and, yes, I've had a couple of binges in there... but I've been able to get up the next day work out and get back on track. I am just now having to re-evaluate my calories since I'm within about 15 pounds of goal weight. Breast feeding burns calories! Breast feeding is one of the best ways (from the books I've read) to get your body back to normal and to lose preganancy weight! Nursing is awesome. I don't mean to go all La Leche on everyone or anything! Sorry!

Zoelda
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top